Embiid, Saric, Brogdon named finalists for Rookie of the Year

A pair of young studs from the Philadelphia 76ers who weren't even drafted to the NBA in 2016, along with a second-round pick out of Virginia, have a shot at walking away with Rookie of the Year honors.

Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, and Malcolm Brogdon were announced as the nominees for the award on Friday.

Despite only making 31 appearances for the Sixers due to injury, Embiid - who went third overall in the 2014 draft - finds himself nominated. Philadelphia had a record of 13-18 when he was active, with the 7-footer contributing 20.2 points while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from 3-point range. He also added 7.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game.

Unlike Embiid, Saric (12th pick in 2014) was consistently on the floor for Philadelphia, suiting up for all but one game. His numbers rose significantly coming out of the All-Star break, jumping to 17.3 points, 7.3 boards, 3.4 dimes, and 0.9 steals in 30.4 minutes.

Brogdon was one of just five rookies in 2016-17 to average over 10 points, reaching that mark with 10.2 points on a stellar 45.7 percent shooting from the field and 40.4 percent from deep (second among rookies). Working in his favor is the fact that he played an important role (26.4 minutes, 28 starts) on a Milwaukee Bucks team that qualified for the playoffs.

The winner for Rookie of the Year will be announced during the first-ever NBA Awards on TNT, airing Monday, June 26 live from Basketball City at Pier 36 in New York City.